Restaurants gear up for reopening
Could be as early as June 8
Outdoor dining will be first on the menu when Massachusetts restaurants reopen from their coronavirus closures, Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday, but struggling establishments won’t find out when they can begin serving customers again until June 6.
Baker rolled out a slew of new safety standards for restaurants and hotels Friday, and said employers could bring back some workers as early as Monday to prepare for reopening during the second phase of the state’s four-part plan.
The governor will announce on June 6 when Phase 2 will begin. If the data being closely watched by state and public health officials — including the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, and the positive test rate — continues to trend down, that could be as soon as June 8.
“Thanks in large part to everybody’s cooperation, we’ve made real progress in fighting COVID-19,” Baker said at the State House. But “until there’s a medical breakthrough, this is the only and best way we have to beat the virus, and to get our businesses and routines back to something like normal.”
Outdoor dining will resume at the start of Phase 2, while indoor dining will follow later, dependent on public health data, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said.
Tables must be 6 feet apart — unless separated by a wall or plexiglass divider — and parties can be no larger than six people. Patrons can’t sit at bars — but those areas can be repurposed for table seating. Reservations or callahead seating are encouraged, as is contactless payment.
Workers will be required to wear masks at all times. Customers will be allowed to take off their masks once seated at a table.
Restaurants should display their menus on digital signs or chalkboards, or have customers pull them up on their phones. Paper menus must be disposed of after each use. Condiments and utensils won’t be preset on tables, and tables and chairs have to be sanitized after each seating.
If a restaurant has a COVID-19 case, it must close temporarily.
Starting with outdoor dining allows for better ventilation and “would give people a chance to figure out how to work between the tables,” for social distancing, said Baker, who took heat for not including restaurants in Phase 1. “We also got a lot of positive feedback from our colleagues in other states that started with outdoor first.”
The state is working with the Legislature and the Department of Public Transportation to streamline and expand outdoor dining.
“You’re going to see lots of parking lots and other open spaces converted,” Baker said.
Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said restaurant owners are ready to get to work implementing the new requirements. But he stressed the need for a reopening date so restaurateurs can order their perishables in time.
“We’re very excited to have an opening process,” Luz said. But “restaurateurs don’t have any extra money in their pocket, so they cannot have a misfire here.”